Love at Last
by Kaiyon17
Summary: Inuyasha has finally won Rose over , after years of trying and things are beinning to settle down. Then Sesshomaru comes to him and asks for his help in rescueing Rin. Can they work as a team and save her?


Love at Last  
By Jessica McDaniel  
  
Chapter1: Memories  
  
Inuyasha, a half-dog demon half-human with long, flowing white hair and pointed ears on top of his head, glanced at Rose, a black haired Youko (fox spirit), out of the corner of his golden, right eye. She was playing a game of hide-and-go-seek with Yusuke Urameshi, a young, black haired teenager with a badass attitude it the middle of some light, snowy weather. He poked his head around a large boulder. Rose was hiding behind a large pine tree with a hand clapped over her mouth to stifle her giggle fits she kept getting.  
Neither of them had seen him since he had arrived about half an hour ago and sat down in a large oak tree in a high branch. Inuyasha pulled his left leg up to his chest and let his right one swing over the edge of the branch he was sitting on. He felt his eyes moisten as he watched Yusuke approach the tree she was hiding behind. He turned away, unable to watch his secret love be with another man of her own, free will and be so happy with him. She had walked into his miserable life four years ago when he had been hunting one night. He remembered that night as clear as a bell.  
  
Inuyasha prepared to sprint as a fat, wild boar wandered into the clearing and headed towards the pile of corn he had set out just for this purpose. He was well hidden in the clump of bushes he had chosen to stake out in, despite his white hair. Inuyasha had covered himself in mud in order to disguise himself. He was only about seven or eight yards away from the pile of corn, perfect for ambushing prey. He tensed as the boar reached the corn, its left side to him. Inuyasha held perfectly still as it slowly rotated until its back was to him. He didn't have much time, the corn was almost gone.  
Adrenaline flooded his veins and his heart raced. It was taking all his effort to be this patient, he had not eaten in a whole week. He could feel his whole body start to quiver as he thought about the prospect of a good nights meal. Sweat ran down from his snowy white bangs to his forehead and stung his eyes. He tried to ignore it. If he did not eat tonight, he would not have the strength to hunt again. So this boar, if he killed it, would renew his energy and he would be able to hunt and travel again.  
Inuyasha jumped out of the bushes and sprinted towards the boar. The boar abandoned the corn and the chase was on. Inuyasha was putting all of his heart and what little strength he had into this game of tag. He easily caught up to the boar and tackled it. Now came the hard part. Inuyasha had to wrestle the boar down and quickly kill it before it had the chance to gore or injure him in any way with those long sharp tusks of his. The boar managed to put a good gash in his right arm. His first instinct was to let go. Inuyasha began loosen his grip on its head but soon realized what he was doing and quickly killed the boar by snapping its neck. He smirked and dropped the dead boars head. He panted heavily and tried to catch his breath and recover from the chase. Inuyasha heard a soft rustle off to his left despite his loud breathing and turned his head sharply.  
'Oh no.' he thought. 'I don't have the strength to fight again.' Nonetheless he tensed, prepared face what ever came out of those bushes and kill it.  
Instead of a monster or demon coming out, wanting to pick a fight with him, a beautiful Youko with midnight hair that hung down to her waist stepped out with the grace of a cat. She had a curious look on her face. Her face went from curiosity to worry in an instant when she saw it was his blood she had smelled. The mud had seeped into it and might have infected the cut. Thought, most of the mud had fallen off during the chase to catch the boar he had planned on eating which now lay beside him, forgotten.  
"Oh my god! You're injured!" she said in a concerned voice as she darted over to him and sat down kneeled him and the dead boar. Her voice was like something out of a wonderful dream to Inuyasha. He could only stare at the beautiful creature that had stepped of the bushes.  
Finally finding his voice box, he asked in a voice shaking from the adrenaline rush, blood loss, and shock, "Wh-who are you?" She looked up at him and blinked, clue less for a moment. Then she smiled at him and introduced herself as a warrior called Rose.  
  
Chapter2: Secrets  
  
Since that day he had been in love with her, but when he had introduced her to Yusuke she had fallen madly in love with him. He had tried everything he could think of to win Rose over but she only had eyes for Yusuke, no matter what he did. Finally Inuyasha had given up and let her be, that was only about three months ago. He had even quit talking to Rose and had been making himself scarce around her because he was so desperate to forget about her, but not being able to be near her had nearly drove him insane. So he resorted to watching her in secrecy.  
  
Inuyasha heard Rose squeal in surprise and assumed that Yusuke had found her. A single tear slid down his smooth cheek as he listened to their laughter. His ear twitched as he heard it come to an abrupt stop. He dared to glance in their direction below him.Big mistake.  
Yusukes head was tilted at a slight angel as he shared a romantic kiss with Rose in this secluded forest area. Her arms were laced around his neck and she, without hesitance, returned it. Yusukes arms laced themselves around her waist and pulled her closer to his body.  
Inuyasha accidentally choked out a sob as he watched his secret love kiss another man, a man that was not him, a man who now had the greatest treasure in the universe, a man who he could never be. What was left of his heart had just been shredded to microscopic pieces.  
Roses' left ear twitched at hearing the sound and she broke away from Yusuke to look up in his direction. Inuyasha could only watch as she caught sight of him, he had no time to hide, this time he would be caught.  
Her face broke into a warm expression and that same smile that had caused him to fall in love with her appeared on her smooth face. She grinned at him and let go of Yusuke to walk over to the tree. He watched as she approached the tree he currently sat in. Perhaps the secret would finally be revealed this time.  
She reached the top of the tree and sat down next to him.  
"Well hello there, stranger. What've.you."her voice trailed off when she saw the tear marks running from Inuyasha's eyes down to his jaw line.  
Inuyahsa knew no matter how much he scowled, glared, or growled he could not hide the pain, misery, and longing that clearly showed on his face. None the less, he glared/smirked at her and attempted to hide his emotions from her. Rose frowned and gave him a 'that won't work on me' look.  
"What's wrong Inuyasha? You haven't talk to me, you haven't been near me, Hell, you won't even look at me! Now tell me what the fuck is wrong! What have I done to you to cause you to hate me so much!" she said, her voice climbing until she was almost yelling at him. Inuyasha jerked his head up at the last sentence. He shook his head vigorously and more tears started to flow down his cheeks.  
"No! No! I don't hate you Rose! I lo-." he stopped himself from saying anything more, lest he tell her the secret. His eyes averted downwards as he caught her bewildered blink.  
They stayed silent for a long moment, neither saying a word. Rose stared at him, clearly she had finished his sentence in her mind.  
'He loves me'  
"Hey! What are you two yelling about up there?!" Yusuke yelled from way down at the base of the tree. It took Rose a couple of seconds to get over her shock and answer him. She looked over the edge of the branch and called in an unusually high voice "Nothing Yusuke!" before looking back at Inuyasha, but he had disappeared. She blinked and looked around for him, but he seemed to have vanished.  
  
Chapter3: Consultant  
  
"Miroku! Where the Hell are you, you fucking Monk!" Inuyasha yelled as he darted through the woods looking for him. Miroku, a monk wearing dark blue and purple robes with short black hair drawn into a very short ponytail and sporting a golden staff with rings, stepped out from behind the door of a small cottage His deep violet eyes looked in Inuyasha's direction. Sango, a demon slayer with straight, long black hair, and brown eyes in her mid twenties, followed him with a curious look on her face. Miroku closed his eyes and bowed his head with his hands up his large sleeves as usual.  
"Inuyasha," he said in his calm, cool voice. "You needn't yell or curse. Especially with young children and women around." he said with a bit of a sly smile on his face. Sango glared at him.  
"Miroku! You pervert!! Would you please find something else to do to occupy your worthless time with!!" she yelled at him. Sango smacked him as hard as she could across his left cheek. He yelped, then sighed and bowed his head even further until he was looking down at his sandals. Sango briskly walked back into the cottage without another word, leaving him there with a big, red hand mark showing across his cheek. He rubbed his stinging cheek with his left hand and looked at Inuyasha.  
'Great,' Inuyasha thought to himself. 'This is supposed to be my shrink, a perverted Monk that doesn't have enough sense to even know how to say "Hello" without putting a "Will you bear my child?" in front of it.' He let out a sigh and looked up at Miroku. 'I'm doomed.' he thought as Miroku awaited for him to say something with that calm, slightly humiliated, look on his face that Inuyasha hated.  
" Miroku, what do you do when you like a woman, but she likes someone else.an- and you don't have the guts to tell her that you love her?" he asked in an awkward voice. Miroku looked down at Inuyasha from the steps of the cottage and blinked. Inuyasha blushed and quickly said in an angry voice.  
" I- I'm asking for Sesshomaru! Not me!" he said as Miroku's face broke into a smile.  
"Did someone. say my name?" came a tried voice from behind them, interrupted by a yawn. Inuyasha flatted his ears and his eyes got wide with anger at hearing his brothers' voice. He turned around and saw his older half-brother Sesshomaru, a full dog demon with long, flowing white hair down to his knees and two purplish lines on each cheek and a moon crescent on his forehead with identical golden eyes and only one arm (his right), walking towards the two of them. As usual, Jaken, who was an annoying elf demon with a high-pitched voice, and a little girl, about eight years old, with waist length, black hair that Inuyasha had never seen before, following him. She was wearing an orange and yellow kimono and had a big smile on her face. Sesshomaru yawned and scratched the side of his head as he approached them. Inuyasha growled a low growl.  
"What the Hell are you doing here, Sesshomaru!" he said in a low voice that was almost a full growl. It was more of an accusation that a question. Sesshomaru looked at him and in a groggy voice explained.  
" Grrr, . right back at cha. I'm here to get some supplies. Plus" Another yawn escaped. "Rin wants a new kimono." he said. Inuyasha cocked his head, his curiosity getting the better of him. Sesshomaru pointed at the little girl that was with him. Inuyasha closed his eyes, shook his head slowly, and opened his eyes again to make sure he wasn't hallucinating or anything of the such. Sesshomaru was walking towards them.  
"What are you doing here? I thought you would be out on a date with Miroku." he said in more awakened voice with an expressionless look on his face. Inuyasha opened his mouth to retort but was distracted when Rin went flying past them, dragging Jaken as she went.  
Sesshomaru called to them, "Be back in an hour or two!" and looked back at Inuyasha as she yelled in delight and went into the nearest shop with clothes in it.  
"So what were you two saying about me?" he asked in a now fully awake voice, tinged with annoyance. Inuyasha blinked, now remembering his conversation with Miroku. He turned slightly red and turned away from his older brother to look at the Monk who was fixing to tell Sesshomaru what was going on. Inuyasha made furious hand motions at Miroku to tell him to stop as he began to ask a question.  
"Sesshomau, did you ask the girl if she likes you yet? That might solve your problem." he said in a polite manner. Inuyasha bowed his head and prepared to face his execution.  
"What the Hell are you babbling about?" he asked in a dumb-founded voice from behind him. "I have no interest in a woman." Inuyasha looked up at Miroku with a 'you just committed suicide' look in his eyes. Miroku had a calm look on his face as his brown eyes darted from Sesshomaru to Inuyasha. Inuyasha was opening and closing his hands as if he was having to work extremely hard to keep from wrapping around Miroku's neck. Miroku looked at Inuyasha and gave him a curious look as though he had no idea what was going on, but Inuyasha knew Miroku better than that. He knew exactly what was going on, he knew he'd lied. The question had been meant for Inuyasha.  
  
Chapter 4: Lord Sesshomaru's Brother  
  
Rin came running out of the shop with three new kimonos and a new sword that Master Jaken had allowed her to get. Her waist length black hair lifted in a warm breeze that swept by. She waited for Master Jaken impatiently. She looked over her shoulder at the shop she had seen him walk on to five minutes ago.  
"Master Jaken! Hurry up, please." she called over her shoulder. "Lord Sesshomaru is waiting for us!" He came out of the shop with some rope slung over his shoulder, a long strip of leather in one hand, and his staff in the other. He huffed and puffed as he closed the distance between them. She smiled and took the heavy rope from him. She laughed at the relived look he gave her and slipped her arm through the rope so it rested on her shoulder. Rin looked up at Lord Sesshomaru and grinned when she saw him eyeing her protectively through his left eye and talking at the same time. She ran over to him, easily keeping the rope supported on her shoulder and keeping the kimonos off of the ground. He stopped talking to a tall man dressed in red with ears on top of his head and with long, white hair that she did not recognize and knelt down until he was at her level. He took the rope from her gently and looked at her new clothes. He looked down at her bare feet, then back up at her.  
"You know," he said in a kind voice. "You need some sandals before your feet wear down so much from walking, that you won't have any feet left." Rin gasped and quickly looked down at her feet to make sure they were still there. Sure enough, they were there but they were there but they were blistered badly and cut up, not to mention dirty. She looked back up at Lord Sesshomaru and nodded vigorously.  
"You're right my Lord. I'll be back." Rin told him as she started to turn and run towards another shop.  
"Rin," he said. She stopped, not having taken one step, and turned around to look at him. He reached out with his hand and took the kimonos from her as well. Lord Sesshomaru put them over his shoulder and looked back at her. "I'll hold on to these while you go get some sandals. Now go, run along. Oh, and how about trying to pick out some that match these kimonos?" he added as she grinned at him. He smiled and stood again.  
"Yes my Lord, I'll do my very best to get some that match." she answered her cheery voice.  
  
Rin came back about fifteen minutes later with two pairs of matching sandals. She looked up when she heard yelling. The man she did not recognize was yelling at Lord Sesshomaru with a fist raised in the air as if he was going to punch him. She gasped and ran over to Lord Sesshomaru. He had a calm look on his face and looked as though he was about to yawn. He looked down at her and blinked, as though just seeing her. He knelt down to her level again, ignoring the man yelling at him.  
"Did you get some sandals Rin?" Lord Sesshomaru asked her in a kind, calm voice. She nodded, eyeing the man in red who was now staring at Lord Sesshomaru as though he had sprouted another arm. Lord Sesshomaru caught her gaze and smoothed her hair back a few times with his hand. The tufts of hair that always stood up sprang back up as soon as his hand was off of them.  
"Don't mind him, he's just a babbling moron. He'll shut up sooner or later." he added as the man behind him screamed attempted to punch him in the back of his head. Lord Sesshomaru easily dodged the punch, making sure Rin didn't get hit either. He turned around using his God-like speed, grabbed the man by the back of the neck, and shoved his face into the ground. Rin gasped and put her hands over her mouth. Jaken walked up next to her and stood there with a smile on his face.  
Rin looked down at him.  
"Master Jaken, do you know who that is? I don't think I've ever seen him before." she asked him in a curious voice. Master Jaken looked at her and blinked.  
"Rin I don't think I ever told you this, but that is Lord Sesshomau's half-brother, Inuyasha. You see Rin, that half-breed has a sword that Lord Sesshomaru has craved to get for years. Lord Sesshomaru's sword, as both you and me very well know, has the power to heal and bring back lost souls from the dead," Master Jaken explained. Rin nodded, remembering the night Lord Sesshomaru had used his sword to save her and bring her back from the dead. Master Jaken continued. " Inuyasha's sword can kill one hundred demons in one sweep, and Lord Sesshomaru's sword can save one hundred demons in one sweep, pathetic sword if you ask me." Master Jaken mumbled. "Do you understand?" he asked, remembering the whole reason this conversation had been brought up in the first place. Rin looked up at Lord Sesshomaru, who was walking towards them. She looked behind him and saw the man called Inuyasha lying facedown in the dirt. She nodded, signaling to Master Jaken that she understood.  
A man in dark blue robes was standing next to Inuyasha looking down at him shaking his head very slowly. She felt a hand on top of her head and tilted her head back to see Lord Sesshomaru looking down at her. He had his usual calm look on. She smiled and hugged his right leg, thanking God that she had him for a guardian angel.  
  
Inuyasha dusted himself off and glared over at his older brother. Miroku closed his eyes and shook his head even slower. Inuyasha's eyes darted to him and Sango, she'd had appeared about ten minutes ago. She too was shaking her head at him.  
"What?! You're acting like it was my fault!" he yelled at them.  
"Maybe because it was your fault." they said in unison, both still shaking their heads.  
"Well, maybe if Miroku hadn't been such a blabbermouth, he wouldn've found out and gotten sa pissed at me, AGAIN!!" he yelled at them.  
Miroku looked up at him and said in his usual calm, cool voice,  
"If you had told the truth, Inuyasha, this could have been avoided." as he indicated his bloody nose and spit, not to mention his black eye. "Perhaps you should apologize."  
"Hmpf, I don't have to put up with this." said Inuyasha as he started to walk away. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Miroku. "Oh, and just for your information.Hell no I'm not going to apologize!! Especially, not to HIM!!!" he yelled as he spun around to face Miroku. Miroku and Sango, again, bowed their heads as he began to walk away once more.  
Miroku sighed heavily and looked at Sango.  
"Well I tried didn't I?" She looked back at him.  
"You know damn well there's no getting through that rock called a head of his." Miroku sighed again.  
"I suppose you do have a point. Let's go back inside," He looked up as he talked. The skies were beginning to darken. "I sense a storm approaching."  
  
Chapter 5: Caught  
  
Rin walked side by side with Master Jaken as they made their way through the dense forest. Master Jaken was acting rather jumpy for some odd reason, he kept looking off to his far right into a clump of trees. It was almost as though someone was following them and Master Jaken was trying to protect her. Lord Sesshomaru had gone off East to another village. Rin looked down at Master Jaken.  
"What's the matter Master Jaken? Is their something following us?" she asked in a bit of a scared voice. He glanced up at her.  
"Rin, if I give word, run as fast as you can to Lord Sesshomaru. I feel an evil presents around us. It's off in those trees, so if I tell you to run.run like Hell and don't look back. Got it?" It was more of a command that a question. Rin, now trembling madly, could only nod as she felt her heart start to race. Master Jaken too nodded. He quickened his pace tremendously and was almost at a jog, Rin followed his example.  
Ever so often, Rin could see a bush rustle or hear a twig snap. Once she saw a shadow dart from a tree branch too near her for comfort. When Master Jaken saw it he told her to run. Rin broke into a run, leaving him behind. She heard the swish of a sword, a helpless Jaken scream, and then a sickening thud. She looked over her shoulder, despite her word to Master Jaken, and screamed. He had been cut in half and was lying face up in a small pool of his own blood with a lifeless look in his eyes. She turned back around and ran for all she was worth.  
"Lord Sesshomaru!!!!!!! HEELLLP!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Rin was struck with something hard over the head and she blacked out.  
  
Sesshomaru looked up at the sun. He estimated the time to be around five in the afternoon. His dragon slept peacefully behind him in the shade of a large red wood tree.  
'Something must've happened' he thought to himself. 'Rin and Jaken should've been here half an hour ago. Jaken said he would be here by four or four thirty with Rin.'  
  
"If anything should happen my Lord, I'll make sure Rin gets out of the situation." Jaken said and bowed at his feet while Rin picked flowers in a nearby meadow. "You can trust me. I realize that we are passing through the land of your most formidable enemies, the Jackals, but rest assured I'll get her through by four thirty, safe and sound, while you run your errand. I'm sure it's most important my lord." he said with another bow. Sesshomaru nodded and climbed onto the two-headed dragon. Rin ran over and kissed his cheek.  
"Travel safe my Lord." she said with a cheerful smile. He blinked, dumbfounded for a moment, before also smiling and returning the kiss.  
"You too, Rin."  
  
Sesshomaru closed his eyes and opened them again. He gazed out onto the path that lead out of the forest. They were supposed to come out of that path a long time ago. Sesshomaru had to make a descion. He looked out to the now setting sun. And he had better make it quick. If he traveled into the Jackal's territory to find Rin and Jaken, he would be risking his life.  
The Jackals were a ruthless band of thieves and killers that had been his enemies since his fathers reign. They would stop at nothing until Sesshomaru's entire family and empire were destroyed.  
Sesshomaru suddenly saw Rin's cheery smile and heard her childish laughter in his head. He made up his mind right then and there, he would give his life to save her if he had to. Jaken.he could be someone else's annoying headache, the only thing that mattered right now was Rin's safety.  
  
He walked over to his dragon. It lifted its' head at hearing him approach and growled a low growl in welcome. He mounted onto it's back and the dragon took flight immediately.  
Sesshomaru's trained eyes scanned the forest in search of either Jaken or Rin. He finally picked up Jaken's putrid scent two hours later dismounted off of the dragon's back. He flew down to the ground and landed in front of Jakens' body. He snorted and drew out Tenseiga. He instantly saw the demons of the under world, crouched possessively over Jaken's body. They looked up at him and made a sound that sounded something like a door creaking open.  
Sesshomaru slashed them with Tenseiga and they disenigrated into thin air. It took Jaken a couple of moments to come back to life. He blinked and sat up immediately. Jaken looked up at Sesshomaru and his mouth fell open.  
"Lo.Lord Sesshomaru! They took Rin! They took Rin!" he told him hastily, regaining sense of where he was. Sesshomaru had a look of utmost disgust on his face as he looked down at Jaken.  
"Jaken," he said in a low voice that signaled he was thoroughly pissed at him. Jaken instantly took on a look of pure terror.  
"Y-Yes, m-my Lord?"  
"If Rin has been harmed in anyway, what-so-ever.you shall never be able to speak again. Especially after I rip out your damn voice box and arms, so you won't be able to do sign language either. Got it. Now where did you last see her?"  
Jaken's color drained and he did a loud gulp. He pointed towards the North, the way was only about one hundred yards away from the edge of the Jackal's territory boundary. Sesshomaru turned his back on him and walked back to his two-headed dragon. The dragon was waiting for him about twenty yards away. He mounted it's back again and it took flight, looking down over the Jackal's entire territory. It covered about thirty square miles of woodland.  
'It'll taken me most of the night to cover just a fifth of their territory.' he though to himself. 'I'll need some help if I want to find Rin. But the only person I can think of to help is.Inuyasha.'  
  
Chapter 6: Request  
  
Inuyasha was, again, watching Rose in the secrecy of a large tree. She was sleeping peacefully under in the shade of a large boulder, silhouetted against the setting sun. He suddenly, without warning, he pictured himself sitting next to her with his head on her stomach.  
Not realizing what he was doing, he hopped down from the tree and sat down next to her, accidentally snapping a twig in the process. Her ears twitched but she did not awaken. He sighed in relief and laid his head down on her stomach. He could feel and hear her heart beat steadily. He did not feel her stir, though.  
"Hey there stranger." Her voice interrupted his thoughts. He jerked his head up to look at Rose, she was looking down at him with a tried, yet kind, look in her eyes. Inuyasha also smiled and, unable to help himself, kissed her.  
To his utter shock, she returned it. His tongue request entrance to her mouth as he wrapped his arms around her. She opened her mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. His tongue explored her mouth and she stroked his tongue with hers. She whimpered and pulled him against her body.  
There in the soft grass they made love over and over until morning, where they fell asleep in each other's arms.  
  
Inuyasha opened his eyes as he heard some one approaching. He sat bolt up right as he smelled Yusuke's sent that flowed down wind. He'd already dressed an hour earlier when they had made love for the last time, as had Rose. He quickly, yet reluctantly, darted into the trees, leaving Rose sound asleep under the boulder. He watched as Yusuke sat down next to her and stroked her hair lovingly with his left hand and kissed her.  
It took all of his self-restraint to not go down there and beat the all-living Hell out of Yusuke. He quickly left before what was still left his restraint got out of his reach and he killed the bastard.  
He saw his brother flying towards him at break neck speed.  
'This is the last thing I need right now.' he thought to himself with a frown. 'My damn brother's come here to kill me. Just perfect.' He saw Sesshomaru start to descend as their golden eyes met. Inuyasha moved out into a clear cut and wait as his brother dismounted and walked towards him, though he showed no signs of wanting to fight. Sesshomaru stopped just five feet away from him and looked him right in the eye. Inuyasha could read several emotions; anger, reluctance, and.fear? Inuyasha sniffed the air to see if he could smell it. It was the clearest smell out of all of them, he looked at his brother closely. A strong breeze blew at them and the smell was clearer than ever.  
"Inuyasha.though I would rather kill myself that do what I am about to do, I need to ask you a favor." Sesshomaru explained. Inuyasha blinked and gained a look of shock on his face. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and slowly opened them again.  
'Wait a second, this is probably just a trick to try and get Tetsaiga. Huh, no way I'm falling for this.' Inuyasha thought as he suddenly realized what was happening. He gained a look of doubt and suspicion as he looked into his brother's eyes.  
As though reading his thoughts Sesshomaru told him, " I do not seek Tetsaiga right now, Inuyasha. I truly need your help. Rin has been kid knapped by my most fearsome enemies," He watched a look of shock come over Inuyasha's face. He continued, "And I need your help finding her. If I don't find her soon, they'll surely kill her, or worse." He could not bring himself to say what he was thinking. Just the thought of it made him sick to his stomach. "So, will you help me or not?" he asked in an impatient voice. The Jackal's had most likely not killed her so they could keep her until she was old enough to have children, if they did not take her while she was still a child. They had been known to be child molesters.  
Sesshomaru grinded his teeth back and forth as he impatiently waited on Inuyasha to answer. Inuyasha looked his brother dead in the eye.  
"Ok. I'll help rescue Rin. Where's the last place you saw ."  
"I'll tell you everything on the way. Now let's go." he snapped. He disappeared into the woods with Inuyasha following him closely.  
Half an hour later they found his dragon, it had been munching on the remains of some animal bones similar, to a cows. It growled when it saw Inuyasha approaching, though this was not the same growl he'd given Sesshomaru. He froze and watched as his brother got onto its' back and waited for him to follow. He looked at him through those calm golden eyes.  
  
"Is this thing safe?" he asked as he edged towards the massive dragon. The dragon watched his every move closely, almost ignoring Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru let out an impatient breath.  
"He's just not used to you, he wouldn't hurt you unless I told him to. Now hurry up." he said as Inuyasha eyed the dragon untrustingly. He darted over and hopped on behind Sesshomaru.  
He wrapped his arms tightly around Sesshomarus's waist as the dragon took off at a steep angle. He surprised himself when he did that, as he did his brother. Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder at him, a bit of a questioning look. Inuyasha glanced up at him but his eyes quickly darted down when he felt the dragon shift. This only caused him to tighten his grip around his brother's waist and hide his face in his hair.  
It took Sesshomaru a long time to get used to this new feeling, about an hour, before he relaxed and let his younger brother hug him. He heard his soft breathing a few minutes later and assumed he was asleep. He now centered his thoughts on how he was going to get Rin back.  
'Rin.' he thought to himself. 'My little Rin.' Again, he saw her childish smile and heard her cheerish, playful laughter. Sesshomaru felt hatred towards himself for letting her be captured. 'I was a fool for letting Jaken take her. He is too simple-minded to know what to do in times of sever battle.' He blinked and shook his head.  
'Damn it, Sesshomaru. Stop that, it's your own fault she got captured. You have no one to blame but yourself.' he told himself angrily. He felt his brother shift and was jerked from his thoughts. Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder to see if he was still asleep. His golden eyes looked down at his half awake little brother. Inuyasha yawned and smacked his lips together. Their identically golden eyes collided and they stared at each other for some time.  
Sesshomaru blinked and watched him. Inuyasha had his cheek pressed against his back, his face turned to the left with an extremely exaughsted look in his eyes. He reeked of a female's scent, so Sesshomaru imagined he would be tired. Sesshomaru gave him a non-caring look.  
He turned around and rested his chin on top of Inuyasha's head briefly in a somewhat protective posture. He felt most of the tension flow out of Inuyasha's body.  
"Thank you for helping me little brother."  
"I'm doing this for the little girl, not you. So don't be goin' and gettin' the wrong Goddamn impression, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha said with a hint of sarcasm. But Sesshomaru could tell Inuyasha was lying. He smiled and went back to looking for a good landing site.  
'Don't worry, Rin. I will rescue you.'  
  
Chapter 7: Surprise  
  
"You're pregnant?!" Yusuke exclaimed. Rose kept looking at the ground, not able to meet his stare. She heard him chuckle, then it turned into a full out laughing fit. She turned red with anger and embarrassment.  
Rose looked up at him and glared, still flushing red. Yusuke was close to tears and was clutching his stomach in pain.  
"And what, may I ask, is so funny Mr. Giggles?!" asked Rose angrily. It took Yusuke a few tries before he could answer.  
"Is.is .that.is that.all?" he gasped through short bursts of laughter. He looked at her, pure joy in his chocolate eyes.  
'Ohhhh.this is gonna kill me.' she groaned silently. 'I still haven't told him. Oh well.better get it over with'  
Rose inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. She looked Yusuke dead in the eye. By now he had stopped laughing and was grinning.  
"Yusuke.this isn't your child." She watched the grin slowly ebb away and be replaced with a look of confusion.  
"You mean.you and someone.else." his last word was barely a whisper. He looked at her and it hit him like a smack in the face. Rose's face told the entire story.  
Yusuke's face went blank for a moment before he smiled, though she could tell from the look in his eyes that he didn't mean it at all. She laid her ears back in an 'I'm sorry' motion. Yusuke's smile faltered a bit.  
"So, who's the lucky dad-to-be? Anyone I know?" he asked with genuine curiosity. Rose, again, looked down at the ground.  
"Yeah.Inuyasha."  
  
Miroku frowned as he stood on the top step of the small cottage. He could sense something big was fixing to happen, really soon.  
Sango approached him from behind and took her place next to him.  
"Sango, have you seen Inuyasha at all sense you came back?" Miroku asked her, still looking dew North. She looked at him and blinked. She had just returned from picking berries.  
"No, I think he ran off to go fetch some food. Him and Shippo." Sango told him, a bit puzzled.  
"I didn't go off with Inuyasha." came Shippo's high voice. "I was searching for plants and herbs." Shippo was a small, child-like Youko with orange, curly hair he always wore in a short ponytail. Shippo was only fifty or so years old, young for a Youko. He hopped up on Miroku's shoulder, his usual perch, and looked at him.  
"What's wrong Miroku? You seem restless." Shippo asked him.  
"Something big is about to happen Shippo, something bad. A battle, I think."  
"Perhaps we should go and investigate. I sense an evil force at work." Sango suggested. Miroku nodded but stayed put.  
"I suppose we should wait an hour for Inuyasha to arrive before we depart, Sango."  
"Yeah, we can't just leave without him." Shippo piped in. Sango nodded in agreement. "Sure he's a jerk but we still can't leave him behind. Knowing Inuyasha, he'll probably throw a major tantrum. That's what he usually does when we leave him out of something." Shippo reminded them.  
Both nodded and looked out towards the North again where they could sense the evil force.  
  
"So, where are we headed? You said you'd clue me in when we got up here." Inuyasha reminded him. Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder at him.  
"To the land of no return. The Jackal's territory, they're my worst enemies. They captured Rin and killed Jaken, like I care about him though." he explained. Inuyasha nodded and looked down in thought.  
"Ok, a bunch 'a mongrels caught Rin an' took her. So you need me to help you to get her back, an' you can't do this alone becauusssse.?"  
"Believe it or not, I can't do this alone because there are so many of them and they hunt in large packs. I need you to get her back by using Tetseiga to kill most of them. Then I can take it from there."  
"You're a reeeaaal asshole, ya know that? Even when I decide ta help you, of all people, ya still through things back in my face. Hm, I guess some things never change." said Inuyasha bitterly.  
Sesshomaru sighed in his mind.  
"Yes, I have changed little brother. I have grown to like someone. Many people would have thought that impossible." he thought out loud, though not meaning to.  
"Huh?!" Inuyasha asked, hearing every word.  
'Oh, fuck I am an idiot.' he thought, this time keeping it in his head.  
"Huh? Oh nothing. Just.mumbling out loud." Sesshomaru told him, trying to cover it up.  
"Hmm, whatever. So how long till we get there?"  
'Whew, that was too close.' Sesshomaru let out a silent breath, glad to change the subject.  
"About another half an hour. I can see smoke already, smell it too." He indicated a sliver of smoke that could be seen rising from the forest floor about eight miles away.  
Inuyasha looked in the direction he pointed out and nodded. It was barely visible but you could sure smell it if you had their noses.  
"Let's go then. No! No! Not like thaaaaa-" he screamed out that last word as the dragon took off at break neck speed towards the small line of smoke.  
  
Rin groaned as she opened her eyes. A terrible pain pierced the back of her head when she turned it to look around and see where she was.  
"Owww." she moaned and cradled her head. She felt a lump on the back of her head and touched it.  
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" she said as soon as her fingers made contact with it.  
As soon as she got over her shock of pain she looked around. She was in a small tent made out of something similar to deerskin. Beneath her was soft earth and a dry grass bed.  
The first thought that came to her throbbing head was, 'Where is Lord Sesshomaru?'. Then the memory of Master Jaken lying on the ground surrounded by his own blood came back and her screaming and running came flooding back to her head.  
She gasped and recalled getting hit over the head.then everything else was a mystery. She listened to the sounds coming from outside the tent.  
She could hear people moving around and smell meat cooking. She heard dogs as well, though they sounded nothing like the wolves that had killed her a few months ago. They sounded much smaller. Their yelps were much more high-pitched than wolfs' yelps.  
Rin heard someone approaching her tent and quickly pretended to be asleep, hoping that they would buy it.  
A tall man with long, pointed ears, similar to Lord Sesshomaru's, stepped in and moved her with his foot. She pretended to just be waking be waking up.  
"Huh? Wha.?" she said in a convincing voice. She rolled over to look up at him.  
He wore a cloak of deer and boar skins and had waist length hair.  
He grunted and, again, moved her with his foot. Rin guessed that the motion meant for her to get up. She began to get up but her head began to throb again and she stalled. He kicked her in the stomach for not moving quickly enough.  
Rin moaned as another set of pains was added to her body. She moved, though, lest she be hurt again. He roughly grabbed her by the arm, nothing knew there, and hauled her outside.  
The bright sun stung her eyes. Her arm flew up to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. She let her eyes get accustomed to the light and slowly lowered her arm away from her eyes.  
People, like the man that had her by the arm, were all busy doing something. Many tents, like the one she had awoken in, were set up all over.  
Fires spots were everywhere you looked. Men roasting any kind of meat over the hot flames the licked the juices that seeped off of the meat.  
Rin noticed something strange about the place, she could see no women whatsoever.  
'Perhaps they are in these tent things.' she thought to herself. 'That's what they did with me, they threw me in a tent and left me in there.' Some men simply glanced at her, others stared and whispered to their neighbors. She felt uncomfortable in their presents.  
Rin turned her attention back to figuring out where the man was leading her. She saw many jackals' roaming freely about the camp and wondered why the men did not choose to kill them and get an easy meal.  
It looked as though he was taking her to another tent. She struggled and tried to get away, but that only earned her a hard wrap across her face. She closed her eyes but did not stop struggling. Many people would have given up after being hit, but not little Rin. She was quite tough, despite what most people that knew her thought.  
Becoming impatient, he picked her up off the ground and threw her at least ten feet. She landed with a loud 'thud' and lay motionless. He grunted and walked over.  
The man picked her back up and shoved her into a tent. Again, he grunted, and walked back to his comrades.  
  
Rin moaned and looked up, expecting to see more men wanting to hurt her. Instead, she saw a woman with a small child, only about five or six years old, and those same long ears. Rin slowly sat up and looked the woman dead in the eye.  
She blinked and began to growl as soon as they made eye contact. Making eye contact was possibly the worst thing she could've done.  
Rin suddenly remembered that making eye contact with a dog of any species meant that you were superior to them and that you wanted to start a fight. She quickly lowered her eyes, not wanting to upset the woman.  
"Who are you, child?" the woman asked.  
"My name is Rin." she answered in a quiet voice.  
"Well, Rin, what business do you have in my village?" she asked in a kind, yet superior manner.  
"I was taken here against my will. I only just woke up." Rin explained, being sure to keep her eyes averted.  
"Ahh. I see, my mate wishes to keep you here. Well, you have nothing to fear of me. I shant hurt you, Rin." she explained. "But if you hurt any of my pups, I shall take action. So do not mistake my meaning."  
"Yes, ma'am. I would never dream of hurting anyone, though, so you have nothing to fear from me." Rin said in a timid voice.  
The woman laughed out loud. It sounded more like a hyena laugh than a normal laugh.  
"I fear nothing. Be sure to remember that."  
"And you be sure to remember that Lord Sesshomaru will come for me."  
Rin watched the small child roam about the tent and did not see the woman glare at her.  
"Did you say.Sesshomaru?" It was more like an accusation.  
"Yes, ma'am. And he will come and get me."  
"Oh, I highly doubt that. He won't be able to once we kill him. Then we shall go after his mutt brother.Inuyasha."  
  
Chapter 8: The Jackals  
  
"It has been an hour, Sango. I think it's time to go and investigate. He might already be there by now." Miroku said as he prepared to leave the village and head out. Sango was also preparing.  
"Agreed, we can wait no longer. Someone might be in real danger." she as she gathered her weapons, a giant boomerang and a sword.  
Shippo hopped up onto Miroku's shoulder and smelled the air.  
"Just a shot in the dark, but I think he might've beat us there." he added. Miroku nodded, considering the possibilities.  
"Kira can take us there, if she doesn't mind too much."  
"No, not at all. She'd, more than likely, be happy to help out." Sango reassured him. Kira, a cat like creature, can into view.  
In her normal form, she looks like a harmless kitten-like creature with black markings and two tails. In her transformed form, though, she looks like a saber-toothed cat with small fireballs on her feet.  
Kira is in-fact a fire demon that belongs to Sango. She had been Sangos dearest friend and companion. Kira had saved them more than once and had helped Inuyasha train when he was learning how to form the wind-scar, his famous attack. 


End file.
